KUALA LUMPUR: The government is fully dedicated to facilitating the growth of the electric vehicle (EV) industry and the broader adoption of green technology, says the Prime Minister.

Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim (pic) said this is aligned with the government's goals in Budget 2024, which is to accelerate the widespread acceptance of EVs and promote the use of green technology in diverse sectors.

At the same time, Anwar said EVs also hold promise in addressing climate change, as the automotive industry accounts for about a fifth of global emissions.

"Given our ongoing reliance on imported fuels and the unpredictable fluctuations in global oil prices, it makes perfect sense to promote the transition to EVs.

"This transition not only leads to fuel and gas cost savings but also substantially reduces our greenhouse gas emissions, championing sustainability in our day-to-day activities," he said when launching the Weststar Maxus MIFA 9 Electric Vehicle on Wednesday (Nov 8).

Anwar said the government extended import duty exemptions for locally assembled EV components until December 2027, granted total excise tax and sales tax exemptions for completely knocked down (CKD) EVs, and extended completely built-up (CBU) duty exemptions until December 2025.

"To further bolster EV adoption, we're offering tax deductions of up to RM300,000 for companies leasing non-commercial electric vehicles and have waived road taxes for EVs until Dec 31, 2025.

"As we chart our course towards a more environmentally sustainable future, we are committed to setting up 10,000 EV charging stations throughout Malaysia by 2025.

"At present, we have 1,246 operational public charging stations, signifying just the initial phase of a robust charging infrastructure that will facilitate the widespread adoption of electric vehicles," he said.- Bernama